Pulley system allowing for passage of object attached to line

ABSTRACT

A pulley system for enabling an object attached to a line to pass around a rotating pulley at least partially enclosed by a housing, without causing the object to encounter interference from the housing structure as the object passages through. An inward beveled edge of the housing structure may act to guide the line into the pulley groove. An object passthrough window for allowing the object to pass around the pulley while the pulley is rotating, without encumbrance of the object, may comprise a substantially solid, or continuous, inner surface formed of the inward beveled edge and the pulley groove. An exemplary use of the pulley system is in drive or transfer pulleys, or both, in systems utilizing pulley arrangements: for example, in systems such as lure coursing systems that continuously loop a line having a lure attached, for the enjoyment of domesticated animals.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/841,596 entitled LURE CHASING SYSTEM, filed inthe United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Apr. 6, 2020,which published as U.S. patent publication no. US 2020-0229399 A1 onJul. 23, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/841,596is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/569,715entitled LURE CHASING SYSTEM, filed in the USPTO on Dec. 14, 2014, whichpublished as U.S. Patent Publication US 2015-0201586 A1 on Jul. 23, 2015and which issued from the USPTO as U.S. Pat. No. 10,609,904 on Apr. 7,2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/569,715 claims the benefitof priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/917,058 filed inthe USPTO on Dec. 17, 2013, the disclosure of which is also incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. The contents of the foregoingpatent applications, published patent applications, and issued patentsare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a system and method forsafely and effectively propelling a lure along a user-designedclosed-loop line course and, more particularly, to a system and methodfor controlling movement of a lure along a user-designed closed-loopline course to provide an incentive for an animal to chase said lurearound the user-designed line course.

2. Background of the Invention

Do it yourself lure coursing is an exciting new activity that providesexercise and enjoyment for domestic animals. Lure coursing involvessetting up a user-defined course with a closed-loop line that hasattached to it a lure. The lure is typically of a design that catchesthe attention of the animal as it moves, causing the animal to chase thelure around the course. The line is typically a closed-loop system thatis cooperative with a drive motor and at least one transfer pulley thatcauses the close-loop line to move causing the affixed lure to movealong the user-defined course.

The inventors have discovered that there are inherent operationalproblems and risks associated with existing lure coursing systems. Forexample, existing lure coursing systems utilize open or exposed pulleysystems that require the use of cables or ropes having a substantialweight, thickness, and/or tensile strength. These systems can injure themouth or limbs of an animal during operation. In addition, existingsystems utilizing open or exposed pulleys create a substantial hazard toboth the animal chasing the lure and the humans near the system, as adangerous pinch point exists at each open or exposed pulley.

In addition, the open pulley or exposed systems typically used inexisting lure coursing systems are prone to misalignment or failure whenany turbulence is encountered or introduced in the line, which isactually quite frequent. Another drawback of the pulley systems of theprior art is that they do not allow for the passage of an object, suchas but not limited to a lure or flag, attached to the line passingaround the pulley. In the systems of the prior art, the object attachedthe line is impeded or may be prevented altogether from passing aroundthe pulley because the object (for example lure) interferes with thepulley housing or support structure, or, alternatively, the object (forexample lure) become entangled between the line and the pulley, causingthe line to exit the pulley groove and causing the system to fail.Another main concern of conventional lure coursing systems is the factthat they utilize drive units comprising direct drive motor systems thatdo not allow for the implementation of safety features available to adrive unit implementing a non-direct drive system.

What is needed in the art, therefore, is a lure coursing system andmethod that eliminates or mitigates the numerous injury risks andaforementioned operational difficulties associated with current systems.Such a system and method would eliminate or mitigate the injury risksassociated with both open or exposed pulleys and high resiliency linestraveling at high-speeds around a user-defined course, while stillallowing for the unimpeded travel of an object attached to the line (forexample, a lure for lure coursing) affixed to the line as it passesaround the pulley.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one exemplary aspect of the present invention a lure coursing systemis disclosed, said system comprising: (i) a drive unit disposed at afirst location, said drive unit comprising a drive pulley enclosed by adrive pulley housing, said drive pulley housing including a drive pulleyhousing cover and drive pulley housing base, wherein said drive pulleyhousing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and ahinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of the drivepulley housing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley, whereinwhen said drive pulley housing cover is in the closed position the drivepulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lurepassthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surfacecomprised of the drive pulley groove and the inwardly beveled drivepulley shield, wherein the drive pulley is operatively connected to amotor; (ii) a transfer unit disposed at a second location, said transferunit comprising a transfer pulley enclosed by a transfer pulley housing,said transfer pulley housing including a transfer pulley housing coverand transfer pulley housing base, wherein said transfer pulley housingcover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield and a hingeconfigured to allow for the opening and closing of the transfer pulleyhousing cover without disturbance of the transfer pulley, wherein whensaid transfer pulley housing cover is in the closed position thetransfer pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming a lurepassthrough window that includes a substantially solid inner surfacecomprised of the transfer pulley groove and the inwardly beveledtransfer pulley shield; (iii) a lure line engaging said drive pulley andsaid transfer pulley so as to form a continuous loop configuration forsaid lure line, said lure line able to loop continuously around saiddrive pulley and said transfer pulley; and (iv) a lure attached to saidlure line.

In another aspect, a method of animating a lure for lure coursing isdisclosed, said method comprising the steps of: (i) disposing a driveunit at a first location, said drive unit comprising a drive pulleyenclosed by a drive pulley housing, said drive pulley housing includinga drive pulley housing cover and drive pulley housing base, wherein saiddrive pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulleyshield and a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing ofthe drive pulley housing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley,wherein when said drive pulley housing cover is in the closed positionthe drive pulley housing comprises a defined annular space forming alure passthrough window that includes a substantially solid innersurface comprised of the drive pulley groove and the inwardly beveleddrive pulley shield, wherein the drive pulley is operatively connectedto a motor; (ii) disposing a transfer unit at a second location, saidtransfer unit comprising a transfer pulley enclosed by a transfer pulleyhousing, said transfer pulley housing including a transfer pulleyhousing cover and transfer pulley housing base, wherein said transferpulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shieldand a hinge configured to allow for the opening and closing of thetransfer pulley housing cover without disturbance of the transferpulley, wherein when said transfer pulley housing cover is in the closedposition the transfer pulley housing comprises a defined annular spaceforming a lure passthrough window that includes a substantially solidinner surface comprised of the transfer pulley groove and the inwardlybeveled transfer pulley shield; (iii) disposing a lure line around thedrive pulley and transfer pulley, said lure line engaging said drivepulley and said transfer pulley so as to form a loop configuration forsaid lure line, said lure line able to loop continuously around saiddrive pulley and said transfer pulley; (iv) affixing a lure attached tosaid lure line; and (v) activating the drive pulley via the drive motorto move the lure line thereby animating the lure affixed to the lureline in a continuous loop.

The drive unit may further comprise a battery electrically connected tothe motor and a motor control unit. In addition, the motor control unitmay include one or more transceivers, which may be configured towirelessly communicate with a user handheld remote. The user handheldremote may be configured to provide haptic or visual feedback to theuser regarding the operation of the lure coursing system. The motorcontrol unit may also include an electronic timer configured to halt theflow of electricity to the motor after a preprogramed duration and mayalso include a digital stall system that halts the flow of electricityto the motor upon detection by the digital stall system of a load on thelure line exceeding a preprogramed load limit. The lure may bepermanently or removably affixed to the lure line. Moreover, the driveunit and/or transfer unit may be affixed to the ground via break-awaytethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateral orhorizontal load.

It is a further aspect and object of the invention to provide a pulleysystem that allows a line to pass around a pulley while the pulley isrotating, and also, at the same time, allow an object attached to theline to pass around the pulley and through an object passthrough windowin a pulley housing, such that the object passes through the objectpassthrough window, and through the housing, without impediment. Thus,using the inventive pulley system of the invention, a line may passaround a pulley and an object attached to the line may also pass aroundthe pulley, and through a structure to which the pulley is attached,such as a housing, without impediment. This invention is useful, as inmany cases a line passing through one or more pulleys may have an objectattached that, as the object passes around the pulley or pulleys, eitheris impeded by the pulley supporting structure(s) (such as, for example,a pulley housing or other supporting structure), or is caused to exitthe pulley groove due to the object tangling between the line and thepulley groove causing the line to jump out of the pulley groove as theline passes around the pulley. The inventive pulley system of theinvention overcomes these drawbacks of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a partof the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the presentinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose ofillustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention and are not tobe construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical top view illustration of a basic linecoursing system including a drive unit and a transfer unit, inaccordance with an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical top view illustration of an alternative linecoursing system including a drive unit and three transfer pulley units.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical front isometric view of one embodiment of thedrive unit in the closed configuration in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical rear isometric view of an embodiment of thedrive unit of FIG. 3 in the closed configuration.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical exploded view of an embodiment of the driveunit of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment of the driveunit of FIG. 3 in the closed configuration.

FIG. 7 is an additional diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment ofthe drive unit of FIG. 3 in the closed configuration.

FIG. 8 is an internal diagrammatical view of an embodiment of the driveunit of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an additional internal diagrammatical view of an embodiment ofthe drive unit of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10. is a diagrammatical front isometric view of one embodiment ofthe transfer unit in the closed configuration in accordance with anaspect of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical rear isometric view of an embodiment of thetransfer unit of FIG. 10 in the closed configuration.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatical cutaway view of an embodiment of thetransfer unit of FIG. 10 in the closed configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following documentation provides a detailed description of exemplaryembodiments of the invention. Although a detailed description asprovided herein contains many specifics for the purposes ofillustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatmany variations, equivalents and alterations to the following detailsare within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the followingpreferred embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss ofgenerality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimedinvention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by theappended claims and their legal equivalents, and not merely by thepreferred examples or embodiments given herein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a diagrammatical top view illustration of abasic lure coursing system 10 suitable for use in exercising dogs andsimilar domesticated animals accustomed to running, in accordance withan aspect of the present invention is shown. The basic lure coursingsystem 10 comprises a drive unit 12 disposed at a first location, aclosed-loop lure line 18, a lure 16, and a transfer unit 14 disposed ata second location. The drive unit 12 is placed on the ground and isseparated from the transfer unit 14 that is also disposed on the groundat a distance from the drive unit determined by the user. The lure line18 is routed through the drive unit 12 and around the drive pulley 22and through the transfer unit 14 and around the transfer pulley 24 toform a closed loop, essentially as shown.

To increase friction between the lure line 18 and the drive pulley 22said drive pulley may be at least partially coated with a frictionincreasing material, which may include, without limitation, silicone,rubber, latex, silicon rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubberor cork. The transfer pulley 24 may also be similarly coated.

The lure 16 may be removably or permanently attached to the lure line18, at a location on the lure line selected by the user. The lure 16 maybe removably or permanently affixed to the lure line 18 via knotting ofthe lure line around the lure and/or the knotting of the lure around thelure line. The lure 16 may also be affixed to the lure line viaadhesives, hook and loop fasteners or other fasteners. More than onelure may be affixed to the lure line 18. The lure 16 is preferablyconstructed of a soft mailable material such as plastic, polyethylene,silicon, rubber or a fabric. The lure line 18 is configured into aclosed loop by the user, such as by knotting a length of line so thatthe lure line 18 passes around both: (i) the drive pulley 22 enclosed inthe drive unit 12, and (ii) a transfer pulley 24 enclosed in thetransfer unit 14. The lure-line 18 may also be manufactured as aclosed-loop.

The lure line 18 may be made from any material suitable to engage thedrive and transfer pulley to form a closed-loop configuration and ofnecessary strength to withstand highspeed operation in a closed-loopconfiguration. Preferred materials include, without limitation,monofilament, nylon, cotton, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene,Kevlar or any mixture thereof. Preferred lure line constructionincludes, without limitation, braided, double braided, solid braided,hollow braided or twisted.

The drive unit 12 includes a motor 20 that may be powered by any AC orDC electrical source. The electrical power source may be an external ACelectrical source 26 and may be controlled by an electronic motorcontrol unit 28. Alternatively, a battery 77 can be utilized to provideDC electrical power to the motor and motor control unit. Preferredbatteries include lithium-ion, lithium-ion polymer (lipo), lithium,nickel metal hydride, nickel-cadmium, lead acid, lead acid gel oralkaline. The battery 77 may be rechargeable or non-rechargeable.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical top view of an alternative configuration of alure coursing system 30, in accordance with another aspect of thepresent invention. The lure coursing system 30 comprises the drive unit12, a lure line 18 forming a continuous loop, the lure 16 attached tothe lure line 18, and three transfer units 14 engaging the lure line 18.The lure line 18 is routed through the drive unit 12 and through each ofthe three transfer units 14 to form a closed loop. The length of thelure line 18 may be longer or shorter than the length of the lure line18 in the configuration of FIG. 1. In the example shown, the drive unit12 and the three transfer units 14 form the vertices of a four-sidedpolygon. It should be understood that the components of the lurecoursing system 30 can be arranged in any pattern desired by the user,provided that there is space and terrain available to set up the lurecoursing system 30. Configurations contemplated by the present inventioninclude configurations utilizing one or more transfer units 14 and/orone or more drive units 12 to form any user-defined course. If one ormore drive units 12 are utilized in a configuration, the operation ofthe drive units may be linked via wireless communications.

Turning to FIG. 3, a front isometric diagrammatical view of a preferredembodiment of the drive unit 12 is shown. The drive unit includes adrive pulley 22 enclosed in a drive pulley housing 40. The drive pulleyhousing is comprised of a drive pulley housing cover 41 and a drivepulley housing cover base 42. The drive pulley housing cover base 42 maysolid or may be hollow with a defined interior space. The drive pulleyhousing cover 41 contains a hinge 43 configured to allow the drivepulley housing cover to open and close without disturbing the drivepulley 22. The drive pulley housing cover also contains a drive pulleyshield 44 that partially encloses the drive pulley 22 when the drivepulley housing cover 41 is in the closed position. When in the closedposition, the drive pulley housing cover 41 is removably secured to thedrive pulley housing cover base 42 by one or more releasable fasteners45. Exemplary releasable fasteners include, without limitation, ahook-and-loop fastener, latch, thumbscrew, friction-fit coupling, pin ora combination thereof. The one or more releasable fasteners 45 may alsobe an opposite polarity magnet pair. Exemplary magnets are neodymium orother rare-earth magnets. When in the closed position, the drive pulleyhousing cover 41, the drive pulley shield 44 and drive pulley housingbase 42 enclose the drive pulley 22, thereby eliminating or mitigatingthe dangers associated with an open pulley system. When the drive pulleyhousing cover 41 is in the closed position, the drive pulley housing 40includes a defined annual space forming a lure passthrough window 46that allows the lure to pass around the enclosed drive pulley 22 withoutdisengagement from the drive pulley and without impediment from thedrive pulley housing 40. Also shown is the motor housing 47 and portablepower source access door 48. The drive pulley housing 40 and motorhousing 47 may be constructed of any suitable material of necessaryrigidity and strength. In a preferred embodiment, the drive pulleyhousing 40 and motor housing 47 are constructed from plastic material.The drive pulley 22 may also be constructed of any suitable material ofnecessary rigidity and strength, including without limitation, PVCplastic or other high strength plastics such as polyamide orglass-filled plastics.

The hinge 43 is configured such that the lure line cannot become stuckor trapped within any spaces created in the drive pulley housing cover41 by said hinge. In a preferred embodiment, all spaces in the drivepulley housing cover 41 created by the hinge 43 are smaller than thediameter of the lure line 18. In addition, the edges of all spacescreated by the hinge 43 in the drive pulley housing cover 41 may bebeveled to reduce edges upon which the lure line could become stuck ortrapped. In addition, the hinge 43 mechanism may be external to the lurepassthrough window 46.

FIG. 4 is a rear isometric diagrammatical view of the drive unit 12 ofFIG. 3. The rear of the motor housing 47 contains a power source accessdoor 48 for the insertion and storage during operation of a battery.Also shown is a power switch 49. The drive unit 12 further includes ananchor point 50 to affix the drive unit to the ground at a locationdesired by the user. The drive unit 12 may be removably or permanentlyaffixed to the ground. In an exemplary embodiment, the drive unit 12 isremovably affixed to the ground via the anchor point 50 via the use ofbreak-away tethers configured to break apart under a predefined lateralor horizontal load, said load being greater than the load placed on theanchor point 50 during normal operation of the lure coursing system.Through the use of breakaway tethers, the drive unit 12 can release fromthe ground upon the assertion of a lateral or horizontal load that ishazardous to an animal or human user. The break-away tethers may beoperatively connected to any known means of anchoring an object to theground, including, without limitation, a ground stake, ground anchor orweight. In another aspect, the drive unit 12 may be attached to theground via the anchor point 50 via non-breakaway tethers or elastictethers.

As shown by FIG. 5, an exploded diagrammatical view of the drive unit 12of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the drive pulley 22 is affixed to a support shaft51 connected to the drive unit cover base 42. The drive unit cover base42 includes an annular recess 52 into which the drive pulley 22 rests.The annular recess 52 is of a diameter just larger than the diameter ofthe drive pulley 22 creating a gap 53 between the drive pulley 22 andthe walls of the annular recess 52 such that the drive pulley can rotateunimpeded within the annular recess. The gap 53 is kept as small aspractical, in accordance with manufacturing tolerance, while providingadequate space for free rotation of the drive pulley 22 within theannular recess 52. In aspects where the drive unit cover base is hollow,the annular recess 52 may alternatively be an annular cutout in the topsection of drive unit cover base 42 that allows the drive pulley 22 tosit partially within the hollow defined area of drive unit cover base.

The drive pulley housing cover 41 also includes a circular drive pulleyshield 44 that is affixed to the bottom of the drive pulley housingcover. The drive pulley shield's 44 inner diameter is just larger thanthe diameter of the drive pulley 22 creating a space 57 (shown on FIG.7) between the drive pulley and the interior wall 54 of the drive pulleyshield such that the drive pulley 22 can rotate unimpeded within thedrive pulley shield 44. The space between the interior wall of the drivepulley shield 54 and the drive pulley 44 is kept as small as practical,in accordance with manufacturing tolerance, while providing adequatespace for free rotation of the drive pulley 22 within the drive pulleyshield 44.

A substantial portion of the drive pulley shield's outer externalsurface 62 is an inwardly beveled shape. The inwardly beveled shape ofthe external surface 62 of the drive pulley shield exists for less thanthe entire circumference of the drive pulley shield 44. Exemplaryportions of the circumference that include an inwardly beveled shapeinclude, without limitation, one-half, two-thirds, three-quarters orfour-fifths of the circumference of the drive pulley shield 44. Theremaining circumference of the exterior surface of the drive pulleyshield is not of a an inwardly beveled shape and instead forms anannular vertical solid surface 63 (shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 8) that actsas a safety guard for the front section of the drive pulley 22.

FIG. 6. is a cutaway view of the drive unit 12 of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 withthe drive pulley housing cover in the closed position. In this closedposition the drive pulley shield 44 with its inwardly beveled exteriorsurface 62, the drive pulley groove 61 and the annular recess 52 createa substantially solid surface 56 (shown in FIG. 7) that forms the innerside of the annular shaped lure passthrough window 46. The top sectionof the substantially solid inner surface 56 is formed by the drivepulley shield's inwardly beveled exterior surface 62. The lower sectionof the substantially solid inner surface 56 is formed by the groove ofthe drive pulley 61. The outer surface 55 of the annular shaped lurepassthrough window is formed by a solid surface, which in a preferredembodiment, is formed by the wall of the motor housing 47. In otherembodiments, the outer surface 55 of the annular shaped lure passthroughwindow may be any solid surface. The substantially solid inner surface56 and solid outer surface 55 of the annular lure passthrough window arethe same height or of approximately the same height. The height andwidth of the annular lure passthrough window 46 are configured to ensurethat the lure can enter and exit the drive unit housing 40 withoutimpediment as said lure travels around the drive pulley 22 and throughthe lure passthrough window 46. In addition, the substantially solidsurface 56 formed by coalescence of the drive pulley shield's inwardlybeveled exterior surface 62, the drive pulley groove 61 and the annularrecess 52 serves to ensure that the lure line cannot “ride up” from thegroove of the drive pulley 61 for any substantial period of time, whichif occurred, would cause the lure line to permanently disengage from thedrive pulley and thus hinder operation of the system. Even in theunlikely event that substantial turbulence introduced to the lure linecauses said lure line to disengage from the drive pulley groove 61, theinwardly beveled exterior surface of the drive pulley shield 62 causesthe lure line to rapidly reengage the drive pulley 22 via the drivepulley groove 61 without user intervention. Moreover, at the locationthe lure 16 is affixed to the lure line 18 the uniformity of the lureline is often destroyed, thus increasing the probability that the lureline will disengage from the drive pulley groove 61 at the moment thelure passes around the drive pulley. The substantially solid surface 56of the inner wall of the annular lure passthrough window 46 ensures thelure line will reengage the drive pulley if disengaged, while the shapeof the annular lure passthrough window 46 allows the lure to travelthrough the drive unit housing 40 unimpeded. In one aspect, the outerwall of the lure passthrough 55 may not be annular and may be comprisedof a flat solid surface.

The substantially solid surface 56 formed by the coalescence of thedrive pulley shield 44, the drive pulley 22 and the annular recess 52when the drive unit cover 41 is in the closed position is shown in FIG.7. The inwardly beveled shape of the external surface drive pulleyshield 62 forces the lure line 18 (not shown) back into the drive pulleygroove 61 in the event the lure line escapes the drive pulley. In apreferred embodiment, the gap 52 between the annular recess and thedrive pulley 22 and the gap 57 between the drive pulley shield 44 andthe drive pulley 22 is smaller than the diameter of the lure line.

The drive pulley shield's 44 inwardly beveled exterior surface 62subsisting around a portion of the drive pulley shield's circumferenceand the drive pulley shield's annular vertical solid surface 63 actingas a protective guard are shown in FIG. 8. This figure also shows thesubstantially solid surface 56 formed by the coalescence of the drivepulley shield's inwardly beveled exterior surface 62, the drive pulleygroove 61 and the annular recess 52 when the drive unit housing cover 41is in the closed position. Shown also is the defined space 75 created bythe hollow drive unit cover base 42 in one aspect of the invention.

The drive unit 12 also includes a motor 20 and a motor control unit 28as shown in FIG. 9. The motor control unit and the motor areelectrically connected to an electrical power source. The motor may bereversable and may be configured for variable speed operation. The motor20 is operatively connected 59 to the drive pulley 22 via any meansknown in the art, including without limitation, a belt drive, geardrive, direct drive or indirect drive. In a preferred embodiment, themotor 20 is operatively connected to the drive pulley 22 via a drivebelt 59 engaging both the drive pulley and a second pulley 60 directlyconnected to the motor 20. The drive belt may be configured to fail(break) if more than a predefined load limit is placed on said drivebelt. In one aspect, the drive unit is configured for “under drive”implementation, where the second pulley 60 and drive belt 59 aredisposed within a hollow space defined within a hollow drive unit coverbase 42.

In a preferred embodiment, the motor control unit 28 includes one ormore transceivers configured to wirelessly communicate with a remotecontrol, smart phone or other wireless communication device. The motorcontrol unit may also be configured to halt the flow of electricity tothe motor 20 after the conclusion of a predetermined system run time. Inaddition, the motor control 28 unit may further comprise a digital stallsystem that halts the flow of electricity to the motor 20 upon detectionby the motor control unit of a load on the lure line exceeding apreprogramed load limit.

The wireless remote control may be configured to provide haptic orvisual feedback regarding the operation of the lure coursing system,including information relating to run time, errors or low batteryalerts.

A transfer unit 14 in a closed configuration according to a preferredembodiment is shown in FIG. 10, a diagrammatical front isometric view.The transfer unit 14 includes a transfer pulley 24 enclosed in atransfer pulley housing 65. The transfer pulley housing is comprised ofa transfer pulley housing cover 66 and a transfer pulley housing coverbase 67. The transfer pulley housing cover 66 contains a hinge 70configured to allow the transfer pulley housing cover to open and closewithout disturbing the transfer pulley 24. The transfer pulley housingcover also contains a transfer pulley shield 68 that partially enclosesthe drive pulley 24 when the drive pulley housing cover 66 is in theclosed position. When in the closed position, the transfer pulleyhousing cover 66 is removably secured to the transfer pulley housingcover base 67 in the same manner as the drive unit 12. When in theclosed position, the transfer pulley housing cover 66 and transferpulley housing base 67 enclose the drive pulley 24, thereby eliminatingor mitigating the dangers associated with an open pulley system. When inthe closed position, the transfer pulley housing cover 66 and drivepulley housing base 67 form a defined enclosed area forming an annularlure passthrough window 69 that allows the lure to pass around theenclosed transfer pulley 24 without impediment from the transfer pulleyhousing 65. In certain aspects, the transfer pulley housing cover base67 may be hollow and includes a defined enclosed area. The hinge 70disposed within the transfer pulley housing cover 66 is of identicaldesign to the hinge 43 of the drive pulley housing cover 41.

FIG. 11 is a rear isometric diagrammatical view of the transfer unit ofFIG. 10. Like the drive unit 12, the transfer unit 14 also includes ananchor point 71 to affix the transfer unit to the ground at a locationdesired by the user. The transfer unit 14 may be removably orpermanently affixed to the ground. In an exemplary embodiment, thetransfer unit 14 is removably affixed to the ground via the anchor point71 via the use of break-away tethers configured to break apart under apredefined lateral or horizontal load, said load being greater than theload placed on the anchor point 71 during normal operation of the lurecoursing system. Through the use of breakaway tethers, the transfer unit14 can release from the ground upon the assertion of a lateral orhorizontal load that is hazardous to an animal or human user. In anotheraspect, the transfer unit 14 may be attached to the ground via theanchor point 71 via non-breakaway tethers or elastic tethers.

As seen in FIG. 12, the transfer unit 14 includes a transfer pulleyshield 68 identical in shape and size to the drive unit pulley shield44. When the transfer pulley housing cover 66 is in the closedconfiguration, the transfer pulley housing 65 includes an identical lurepassthrough window 69 to the lure pass through window 46 found in thedrive unit 12. Like the drive unit lure pass through window 46, asubstantially solid interior surface is formed in the transfer unit lurepass through lure passthrough window 69 by the coalescence of thetransfer pulley shield's inwardly beveled external surface 72, thetransfer pulley groove 73 and the transfer pulley housing cover baseannular recess 76 when the transfer unit cover 66 is in the closedposition. The exterior wall 74 of the transfer unit passthrough window69 is of identical specifications to the drive unit passthrough windowexterior wall 55.

In another aspect of the invention a method of animating a lure along auser-defined closed loop lure course is provided. A user, via the use ofone or more drive units 12 and one or more transfer units 14 can animatea lure along a multitude of disparate lure coursing courses for theexercise and enjoyment of domesticated animals. The method comprises thesteps of: (i) disposing a drive unit 12 at a first location, said driveunit comprising a drive pulley 22 enclosed by a drive pulley housing 40,said drive pulley housing including a drive pulley housing cover 41 anddrive pulley housing base 42, wherein said drive pulley housing coverincludes an inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield 44 and a hinge 43configured to allow for the opening and closing of the drive pulleyhousing cover without disturbance of the drive pulley, wherein when saiddrive pulley housing cover 41 is in the closed position the drive pulleyhousing 40 comprises a defined annular space forming a lure passthroughwindow 46 that includes a substantially solid inner surface 56 comprisedof the drive pulley groove 61 and the inwardly beveled drive pulleyshield 62, wherein the drive pulley is operatively connected to a motor20; (ii) disposing a transfer unit 14 at a second location, saidtransfer unit comprising a transfer pulley 24 enclosed by a transferpulley housing 65, said transfer pulley housing including a transferpulley housing cover 66 and transfer pulley housing base 67, whereinsaid transfer pulley housing cover includes an inwardly beveled transferpulley shield 68 and a hinge 67 configured to allow for the opening andclosing of the transfer pulley housing cover without disturbance of thetransfer pulley, wherein when said transfer pulley housing cover 66 isin the closed position the transfer pulley housing 65 comprises adefined annular space forming a lure passthrough window 69 that includesa substantially solid inner surface comprised of the transfer pulleygroove 73 and the inwardly beveled transfer pulley shield 68; (iii)disposing a lure line 18 around the drive pulley 22 and transfer pulley24, said lure line engaging said drive pulley 22 and said transferpulley 24 so as to form a loop configuration for said lure line 18, saidlure line able to loop continuously around said drive pulley and saidtransfer pulley; (iv) affixing a lure 16 to said lure line 18; and (v)activating the drive pulley 22 via the drive motor 20 to move the lureline 18 thereby animating the lure 16 affixed to the lure line in acontinuous loop.

Configurations contemplated by the present method include configurationsutilizing one or more transfer units 14 and/or one or more drive units12 to form any user-defined course. If one or more drive units 12 areutilized in a configuration, the operation of the drive units may belinked via wireless communications.

In a preferred embodiment, the drive motor 20 is activated via the motorcontrol unit 28 which includes one or more transceivers configured forwireless communication with a handheld wireless remote control. Inaddition, the one or more drive units 12 and one or more transfer units14 are affixed to the ground via break-away tethers configured to breakapart under a predefined lateral or horizontal load. The break-awaytethers are operatively connected to any known means of anchoring anobject to the ground, including, without limitation, a ground stake,ground anchor or weight. In another aspect, the drive unit 12 and/ortransfer unit 14 may be attached to the ground via their respectiveanchor points via non-breakaway tethers or elastic tethers.

It is a further object of the invention, to provide a pulley system thatallows a line to pass around a pulley while the pulley is rotating, andalso, at the same time, allow an object attached to the line to passaround the pulley and through an object passthrough window in a pulleyhousing, such that the object passes through the object passthroughwindow without impediment. Thus, using the inventive pulley system ofthe invention, a line may pass around a pulley and an object attached tothe line may also pass around the pulley, and through a structure towhich the pulley is attached, such as a housing, without impediment.This invention is useful, as in many cases a line passing through one ormore pulleys may have an object attached that, as the object passesaround the pulley, either is impeded by the pulley supporting structure(such as, for example, a pulley housing or other supporting structure),or is caused to exit the pulley groove due to the object tanglingbetween the line the pulley groove causing the line to jump out of thepulley groove as the line passes around the pulley. The inventive pulleysystem of the invention overcomes these drawbacks of the prior art.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, a non-limiting exemplary use case of thepulley system of the invention, namely a drive pulley for a lurecoursing system, is shown and is also described above. In a more generalcharacterization of an embodiment of the pulley system of the invention,the inventive pulley system may be described as a pulley system forallowing passage of an object (which may be any object, such as, forexample, a lure depicted as item 16 of FIGS. 1 and 2) attached to a line18 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) passing around a pulley 22, the pulley systemcomprising: a pulley 22 rotatably attached to a structure such as ahousing structure (such as, in the example depicted in FIGS. 4-8, thecombination of housing cover 41 and housing base 42) via a rotatableattachment (such as, for example, bearings 100 enabling pulley 22 torotate relative to the housing structure either freely, or as driven byan operative drive motor), pulley 22 having an axis of rotation A,pulley 22 comprising an outer circumference groove 61 for retaining aline passing around pulley 22 while pulley 22 is rotating about its axisof rotation A; and a structure forming an object passthrough window(shown in exemplary fashion as item 46 in FIG. 4) adjacent to the pulleyouter circumference groove 61 for allowing passage of an object (such asitem 16) attached to line 18 through object passthrough window (anexemplary object passthrough window is depicted as item 46 in FIGS. 4-8)as line 18 passes around pulley 22 while pulley 22 is rotating. It is tobe noted that the shape of object passthrough window 46 (and also, in atransfer pulley embodiment, 69 in FIGS. 10 and 12) depicted in thedrawings is exemplary only, and that the shape of the object passthroughwindow may be any shape as may be required to allow the passage of aparticular object 16 through the object passthrough window (such as 46and 69), and thus around pulley 22, as pulley 22 is rotating, withoutimpediment of object 16. Object passthrough window 46 (or 69) may becomprised of one or a plurality of surfaces in combination that form anobject passthrough window (such as 46 or 69) allowing the passage of anobject 16 through an object passthrough window (such as 46 or 69), andthus around pulley 22, as pulley 22 is rotating, without impediment ofobject 16. Thus, the object passthrough window (such as 46 or 69) mayvary in size and shape, depending upon the size, shape, materialcomposition or configuration of any desired object 16, which may varyfrom use case to use case. Object 16 may thus be any object, of anyshape, size, material composition or configuration of object that isdesired to be attached to line 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In embodiments,the housing structure may enclose at least a portion, or all, of pulley22. The object passthrough window (such as 46 or 69) may be comprised ofany structure or combination of structures, having any shape that allowsfor passage of the object (such as, for example, item 16) through theobject passthrough window (such as 46 or 69). Further, pulley 22 outercircumference groove 61 may be configured, oriented or disposed so as toopen into object passthrough window 46, allowing the object (such as,for example, item 16) to pass through object passthrough window (such as46 or 69) and around pulley 22 as line 18 passes around pulley 22, andpulley 22 rotates about axis of rotation A. In embodiments, pulley 22may be rotatably attached to the housing structure via a rotatableattachment between said pulley and said housing structure such as, forexample, via bearings 100, which allow pulley 22 to rotate about axis A.

Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which theinventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lurecoursing system depicted in FIGS. 4-8, in embodiments, the housingstructure may comprise a housing cover (such as, for example and not byway of limitation, item 41, see FIGS. 4 and 6) hingedly attached to ahousing base (such as, for example and not by way of limitation, item42, see FIGS. 4 and 6) via a hinged attachment. In embodiments, thehinged attachment between the cover 41 and base 42 may be configured toallow for the opening and closing of the pulley housing cover 41 withoutdisturbance of the pulley. In this manner the hinged attachment betweenthe housing cover 41 and housing base 42 may allow for opening of thecover, providing access to outer circumference pulley groove 61 so thata line 18 may be wrapped around pulley 22, or removed from pulley 22, asmay be required for operation of the pulley system.

In embodiments, the object passthrough window (such as 46 or 69) mayfurther be defined as comprising an annular passage through the housingstructure allowing the object 16 to pass through the housing structureas line 18 passes around pulley 22 while pulley 22 is rotating, as shownin exemplary fashion in FIGS. 4-8. In the use case in which the pulleysystem is a transfer pulley of a lure coursing system, the annularpassage through the housing structure allowing object 16 to pass throughthe housing structure as line 18 passes around pulley 22 while pulley 22is rotating, is depicted in exemplary fashion as item 69 as shown inFIGS. 10 and 12.

Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which theinventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lurecoursing system depicted in FIGS. 4-8, in embodiments, when housingcover 41 is in a closed position as depicted in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, objectpassthrough window 46 may be further defined as comprising an annularpassage through the housing structure allowing the object (such as, forexample, item 16) to pass through the housing structure as the linepasses around pulley 22 while pulley 22 is rotating about axis A, on itsrotatable attachment to the housing structure.

Still referring to the non-limiting exemplary use case in which theinventive pulley system is configured as a drive pulley for a lurecoursing system depicted in FIGS. 4-8, in embodiments, the pulleyhousing cover may include an inwardly beveled pulley shield such asdepicted as item 62 (see FIG. 7). The structure forming the objectpassthrough window (such as 46 or 69) may comprise a substantiallysolid, or, in other words, substantially continuous, inner surface 56comprised of pulley groove 61 and the inwardly beveled pulley shield 62.“Substantially solid”, “substantially continuous” and “substantiallyenclosed” as used herein includes within their meanings that the innersurface (such as, for example, item 56 formed by the combination ofpulley groove 61 and the inwardly beveled pulley shield 62) does notcontain openings, passthroughs, or voids large enough to allow line 18to enter into such openings, passthroughs, or voids during operation,causing binding of line 18 between pulley 22 and pulley shield 44, orallowing line 18 to become entangled with support shaft 51 as line 18passes through the housing structure. The object passthrough window 46may be further defined as comprising an annular passage through thehousing structure, allowing an object 16 to pass through the housingstructure as the line passes around pulley 22 while said pulley 22 isrotating.

While the object passthrough window is described herein, forconvenience, by referring to item 46 of FIGS. 4-8 as having asubstantially solid, or, in other words, substantially continuous, innersurface 56 comprised of pulley groove 61 and the inwardly beveled pulleyshield 62, it is to be understood that the scope of the inventionincludes any equivalent structure having an inwardly beveled surfacesuch as inwardly beveled pulley shield 62. In embodiments the objectpassthrough window may, but does not necessarily, comprise othersurfaces such as outer surface 55 (see FIG. 6) such that the objectpassthrough window (such as 46) may comprise a substantially enclosedcross section as depicted in FIG. 6.

In exemplary use cases and embodiments, the pulley system may beconfigured as a drive pulley configuration in which pulley 22 isoperatively connected to a controllable motor such as motor 20 (such asdepicted in a lure coursing exemplary use case embodiment in FIGS. 4-9).In other exemplary use cases and embodiments, the pulley system may beconfigured as a transfer pulley, in which pulley 22 is able to rotatefreely on its axis A (such as depicted in a lure coursing exemplary usecase embodiment in FIGS. 10-12). These are merely examples of the manyembodiments of the pulley system of the invention.

The pulley system of the invention is useful in any use case in which itis desired to provide a pulley system that allows a line to pass arounda pulley while the pulley is rotating, and also, at the same time, allowan object attached to the line to pass around the pulley and through awindow in a pulley housing, such that the object passes through thewindow without impediment. Thus, the pulley system of the invention hasindustrial application in rigging, sailing, lure coursing (as depictedin exemplary fashion in the drawings) and many other use cases andapplications.

The various embodiments of the invention may comprise any of thefeatures or elements described herein, or depicted in the accompanyingdrawings, or both, in any quantity and in any combination.

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.However, the citation of a reference herein should not be construed asan acknowledgement that such reference is prior art to the presentinvention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the aboveexamples and embodiments, it is not intended that such references beconstructed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except asset forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pulley system for allowing passage of an objectattached to a line passing around a pulley, comprising: a pulleyattached to a housing structure via a rotatable attachment, said pulleyhaving an axis of rotation; said pulley comprising an outercircumference having a circumferential groove for retaining a linepassing around said pulley while said pulley is rotating; and astructure forming an object passthrough window adjacent to said outercircumference for allowing passage of an object attached to said linethrough said object passthrough window as said line passes around saidpulley while said pulley is rotating; wherein said housing structureencloses at least a portion of said pulley; and wherein saidcircumferential groove opens into said object passthrough window.
 2. Thepulley system of claim 1, wherein said rotatable attachment is furtherdefined as a rotatable attachment between said pulley and said housingstructure.
 3. The pulley system of claim 1, wherein said housingstructure comprises a housing cover hingedly attached to a housing basevia a hinged attachment, wherein said hinged attachment is configured toallow for the opening and closing of the pulley housing cover withoutdisturbance of the pulley.
 4. The pulley system of claim 1, wherein saidobject passthrough window is further defined as forming an annularpassage through said housing structure allowing the object to passthrough said housing structure as said line passes around said pulleywhile said pulley is rotating.
 5. The pulley system of claim 2, whereinsaid object passthrough window is further defined as comprising anannular passage through said housing structure allowing the object topass through said housing as said line passes around said pulley whilesaid pulley is rotating.
 6. The pulley system of claim 3, wherein, whensaid housing cover is in a closed position, said object passthroughwindow is further defined as comprising an annular passage through saidhousing structure allowing said object to pass through said housing assaid line passes around said pulley while said pulley is rotating. 7.The pulley system of claim 1, wherein said pulley housing includes aninwardly beveled pulley shield.
 8. The pulley system of claim 7, whereinsaid structure forming an object passthrough window comprises asubstantially solid inner surface comprised of said circumferentialgroove and the inwardly beveled pulley shield.
 9. The pulley system ofclaim 8, wherein said object passthrough window is further defined ascomprising an annular passage through said housing structure allowingsaid object to pass through said housing as said line passes around saidpulley while said pulley is rotating.
 10. The pulley system of claim 2,wherein said pulley housing includes an inwardly beveled pulley shield.11. The pulley system of claim 10, wherein said structure forming anobject passthrough window comprises a substantially solid inner surfacecomprised of a pulley groove and the inwardly beveled pulley shield. 12.The pulley system of claim 11, wherein said object passthrough window isfurther defined as comprising an annular passage through said housingstructure allowing said object to pass through said housing structure assaid line passes around said pulley while said pulley is rotating. 13.The pulley system of claim 3, wherein said pulley housing includes aninwardly beveled pulley shield.
 14. The pulley system of claim 13,wherein said structure forming an object passthrough window comprises asubstantially solid inner surface comprised of a pulley groove and theinwardly beveled pulley shield.
 15. The pulley system of claim 14,wherein said object passthrough window is further defined as comprisingan annular passage through said housing structure allowing said objectto pass through said housing structure as said line passes around saidpulley while said pulley is rotating.
 16. A pulley system for allowingpassage of an object attached to a line passing around a pulley,comprising: a pulley attached to a housing structure via a rotatableattachment between said pulley and said housing structure, said pulleyhaving an axis of rotation; said pulley comprising an outercircumference having a circumferential groove for retaining a linepassing around said pulley while said pulley is rotating; and astructure forming an object passthrough window adjacent to said outercircumference for allowing passage of an object attached to said linethrough said object passthrough window as said line passes around saidpulley while said pulley is rotating; wherein said housing structureencloses at least a portion of said pulley; wherein said wherein saidcircumferential groove opens into said object passthrough window objectpassthrough window; wherein said housing structure comprises a housingcover hingedly attached to a housing base via a hinged attachment,wherein said hinged attachment is configured to allow for the openingand closing of the pulley housing cover without disturbance of thepulley; and wherein said pulley is is operatively connected to acontrollable motor.
 17. The pulley system of claim 16, wherein saidobject passthrough window is further defined as comprising an annularpassage through said housing structure allowing said object to passthrough said housing structure as said line passes around said pulleywhile said pulley is rotating.
 18. The pulley system of claim 16,wherein said pulley housing includes an inwardly beveled pulley shield.19. The pulley system of claim 17, wherein said structure forming anobject passthrough window comprises a substantially solid inner surfacecomprised of a pulley groove and the inwardly beveled pulley shield. 20.The pulley system of claim 18, wherein said window is further defined ascomprising an annular passage through said housing structure allowingsaid object to pass through said housing structure as said line passesaround said pulley while said pulley is rotating.